ANFA passed its statute two weeks earlier with the consensus from rebellion National Football Association (NFA) in Chitwan.
The English-language statute has no Nepali translation despite the facts that district associations are holding elections in hurry.
In Article 36, district association is defined as an autonomous body rather than a sister association and are required to submit their application for ANFA affiliation. ANFA statute also requires each district association to register themselves as an organization in the District Administration Office with their own statute.
ANFA holds the right to reject any association’s affiliation bid. If they reject any bid, the concerned district association cannot participate in the election. The district associations also cannot lodge any complaint against ANFA as they are not directly related.
ANFA said 40 district associations would participate in the upcoming election of the nation’s football governing body and they would hold similar position as of the clubs.
However, ANFA is yet to register the statute at National Sports Council (NSC). “That’s why we cannot say anything,” said Om Thapaliya, the legal advisor of nation’s sports governing body.
Thapaliya added that Sports Development Act 2048 allows sports associations to form regional and district level organizations without need of district-level registration. “Any organization registered at DAO is equivalent to a club,” Thapaliya said.
Geeta Rana, who had announced her candidature for ANFA president, said that this ANFA statute would affect district associations. “This stops district associations to go to courts for legal remedy if anything wrong is done at ANFA,” she said.
ANFA spokesperson Lalit Krishna Shrestha denied that the statute reduced role of district associations. “The statute has not reduced the district associations’ rights,” he said. “Yes, the statute is a bit club oriented.”
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